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“Sometimes it helped to put herself in a crowd. Even if the people were mostly strangers, she still liked having someone close by. But not this close.” – from “The Interruption” I never know what will come from sitting down with a friend, let alone from encountering a stranger. People invariably surprise me. Any given moment... Continue Reading →
Kohelette: A Novel came out this past Wednesday. I'm beyond thrilled! Advance readers may have had the novel for a while already, but I've still relished sending it out into the world more broadly, first with a recent excerpt appearing in The Polk Street Review 2026 and now with this past week's publication. There may... Continue Reading →
What we are to each other doesn’t go away. Our people don’t go away. And that changes everything.
"For better or for worse, she’d never given any hint of discomfort when her dreams had to face reality." - from "Wicherek Way," a short story from the world of the forthcoming novel Kohelette I wouldn't say my fiction is autobiographical, but I do find myself drawing on bits of real-life experience to ground my... Continue Reading →
I know there’s more to the holidays than baking, but baking is simply one of those things my family does this time of year. It’s a ritual, a practice, an experience playing out over time that builds layers of memory and meaning. Even if I weren’t baking for holiday gatherings or for gifts, I’d still... Continue Reading →
"I’m trusting that these shared meals are accomplishing, or may yet accomplish, something with good in it. Perhaps, at the very least, they’re a start." - from "Yarns and Yams" Now that we've reached the month when many families in the US gather for Thanksgiving meals, I'm sharing this reflection I wrote earlier in the... Continue Reading →
Callie J. Smith 